How were YOU converted?
- Thread starter ohyousooners
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I'd gone from Mach3 to Quattro to Azor to non-branded twin-blade disposables. It was my ex girlfriend who gave me the idea - she was heavily into fashion and beauty blogs and came across an article on traditional shaving methods - and so I asked her for a starter set for Christmas (2011). It consisted of a Merkur 34c, Edwin Jagger Black Badger brush, and Taylor's Sandalwood cream. None of that set remain in my possession - not does she - but I've had excellent but bloody expensive shaves for closing in on 3 years.
Kudos to Rick "Pawn Stars" Harrison. I saw his commercial on the MTO DE safety razor. My first thought was ... "They still make those things?" My dad taught me on his Gillette adjustable in the late '60s. I eventually migrated to carts and disposables and was suckered into always buying the latest best thing. I hated shaving for all those years. The nostalgia bug bit me when I saw the MTO commercial. A bit of internet research and lots of You Tube watching resulted my conversion. I've been at it for 3 months ... And I'm never going back!
I have to shave for my job at least 5 days a week. While cartridges never gave me a horrible shave or the other horror stories I've read about, I never really liked to shave. It became a boring chore, in the mornings I'd wake up and say "well, I have to shave again". Sometimes I'd even wait until I got to work just to put it off for longer. The price for new blades is out of control too. I'd strop (I thought I was actually sharpening them) on a piece of canvas or denim to make them last longer so I wouldn't have to spend all that money. I got pretty good at it, I would use one cartridge for about 5 months. I've seen the Micro Touich One commercial with Rick Harris like everyone else. I remember seeing my dad as a kid using a black Gillete DE razor, util he switched over to cartridges too, Atras I think. Even when he used a DE razor he always used barbasol though. I figured what the heck, might as well try it. Bought one at Walgreens and a VDH set with the small bowl (quickly learned I needed a bigger bowl) shaving soap and boar brush. Came to find out that I actually liked to shave, who knew. I actually get up even earlier every morning now and say "I get to shave again!". My wife thinks it's a little crazy because I already had to get up early enough but she knows that I am happy and enjoy it so she is happy. Now I'm not sure if Rick Harris even uses that razor (highly doubt it) but he's unknowingly introduced alot of people to DE shaving. Haven't went crazy (yet) and bought alot of expensive stuff, part of the reason to try it was how much cheaper it can be to shave, and my face feels alot smoother too. I've read alot of different posts and articles here and they have helped me out alot.
Two of the chores that I hated most in daily life as an early-twenty something, starting out my new career: ironing shirts and shaving. One day, I decided to YouTube how to iron a shirt properly, to short circuit the learning process. I found some great "How iron shirts for idiots"-type videos, and thought hey, if there guys on YouTube who can show me how to iron properly, maybe there are guys who can show me how to shave without losing a pint of blood a week and irritating the heck out of my skin. The first result I hit on YouTube was Geofatboy. I found his videos strangely compelling, and decided to use an Amazon voucher I'd had lying around the apartment for a while, to buy an EJ DE89. The rest, my friends, is history.
I was a slow convert. I've always hated paying for cartridges but since I don't have super heavy beard growth, I dealt with them and stretched their life long beyond what it should be. About a year and a half ago I switched to Dollar Shave Club and while the cost was less I still did not enjoy the shave. A friend of mine had started using a DE razor and after doing research and reading a lot of information here I bought an Edwin Jagger, a cheap badger brush and some Proraso green. Now I actually look forward to shaving 
Thanks for being such a great and informative community.
Thanks for being such a great and informative community.
This was pretty much my experience, too. I googled the Rick Harrison razor, and someone on Amazon said, don't buy this, spend an extra ten bucks and get a real razor, like a Merkur or an EJ. So I looked at those, and someone else said, nah, get a vintage DE...and I was off to the races...er...I mean, off to the razors. Now I have about 14 or so of the darn things, all in less than two months. And...I feel a straight is in my immediate future, too...I _love_ my Rolls to pieces!
While visiting family walked into an Art-of-Shaving store in Tampa, ended up purchasing Sandalwood cream and a badger brush. Found B&B site and soon research led me to purchase a couple vintage razors (Gillette FatBoy and #66). Around the same time was in Tokyo (on business) and was introduced to Feather blades. And with that the conversion was complete. 
Serious razor, brush, soap, & bowl acquisition disorder has followed
Serious razor, brush, soap, & bowl acquisition disorder has followed
A couple years back, I was caught between disposable cartridges and an electric. Saw an article on wet shaving on the Art of Manliness website. Ended up discovering this site soon after; bought and read Leisureguy's shaving book. Decided to take the plunge after about a month of lurking/learning. No going back!
Someone on gaming forum had talked about wet shaving. So I was intrigued by it because I had used electric razor for several years. He kept touting about how awesome it is. He referred this website so I checked this website out to gather information. I bought Merkur 180, 100 pack of Derby, and shaving soap from Wal-mart. Haven't looked back now. I only collected the razors very recently so I'm experimenting on what is good for me.
I only collected the razors very recently so I'm experimenting on what is good for me.
I wasn't converted I started to shave using my great grandads de razor. A few years later I went to carts I know silly me, after getting sick of the bad shaves and cost of blades I reverted back to a de and never looked back.
I started looking for a better way when Gillette Fusion blades stopped lasting a week or two for me. The last three packs I bought, from three different stores, lasted only three shaves each. I called Gillette and told them of my problems, recieved no solution not even a apology. I started looking fire a better way. I learned to shave with a DE as a young man, it a
Wasn't a big step to return. Reading this site taught me a better way to shave.
Wasn't a big step to return. Reading this site taught me a better way to shave.
My barber recommended it. I had gone for a few Turkish shaves over the years and loved them! The contrast with my normal m3 or fusion experience of irritation, razor burn, and ingrown hairs was stark. He said I had very thick, coarse, wiry hair with pale, sensitive skin. Put me on to a Futur, Proraso pre-shave and Taylor of Bond street. It's been great ever since!
Dollar Shave Club. Sick of high dollar carts. Looked into their site. When googling their site I saw all sites selling products. Looked up Proraso green. Found CO Bigelowe tube. I knew I was done with canned creams and gels. This led to asking dad about his old stuff I remember when I was a kid. He laughed at me. I bought an EJ 89. Found this site and ebay vintage auctions. All downhill.
The Rick Harrisom commercial got me interested in DE razors. It got me to stop into an Art of Shaving store at a local mall. I checked out the razors, software, etc. still didn't buy anything. I then found this website and it answered a lot of my questions on razors, brushes, etc. I purchased some gear from some on line vendors, and I haven't looked back on cartridges or canned shaving creams/ gels.
I have been back and forth over the years, In the early 60's when I started shaving dad got me an electric. When it wore out it was Gillette tech, the one with the continuous ribbon blade. Use it until I got married and the new wife gave me another electric. Wore it out and went back to another blade type, cannot remember what, probably one of the early cartridge models in mid 70's . The wife got me some kind of appliance that heated the canned shave cream I liked. By that time dad was using a Norelco, so he gave me one and I went through several of those, finally going back to canned foam and a multi blade Gillette. I was in a local antique mall about five years ago and spotted a gold or champagne Ladies Gillette, in mint condition. I did not know it was a ladies model, but for $10 I purchased it, started doing some research, found this and a couple of other forums and the rest is history. I have Gillette types, adjustable and non adjustable, Gems, and Shicks, adjustable and non adjustable, as well as a few straights, and a fair collection brushes.
+1
Somebody who was on the mod here mentioned it on a cigar forum. That piqued my interest but it took me much longer to take the plunge because the cost was quite high.
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